


Dragons and Dust

by Loran_Arameri



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: 1872 (Marvel), Dinosaur fluff, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Planet Hulk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 12:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15995090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loran_Arameri/pseuds/Loran_Arameri
Summary: Timely lost sheriff Steve Rogers a year ago. Now Tony Stark found a man that looks a lot like him. With him comes a big red dinosaur.





	Dragons and Dust

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to cptxrogers for beta reading.
> 
> Basically this is the second fic to come from our bookclub.

Tony had been working in the mountains for several hours. He felt somewhat dizzy from the afternoon sun but had made good progress on breaking down the meteorite that all of Timely had seen falling two nights ago. He had been too eager to know what it was made of to wait any longer, so he had come out today alone to find it.

It had taken him the better part of the day, but it was metallic and malleable. He went to work to break it down into pieces, he could transport back to town on his horse. He attributed it to the sun having dulled his senses that he didn’t feel wary when he saw somebody approaching from the east, most likely coming from the pass where the river had dug through the mountains. He did get wary when the man got closer and his attire was – wrong. Another long moment and Tony remembered what it reminded him of. Romans. As they had been pictured in one of his history books when growing up in New York.

A Roman soldier in the Valley of Doom? He certainly had a stroke from the sun. That was when he noticed another odd thing about the man. His backdrop. Everything behind him was bright red. And moved with him.

What followed was one of the moments when your perception shifts and afterwards you cannot unsee what you just discovered.

The man was followed by a big red dragon.

Yes, definitely too much sun. Tony would just pack up the pieces he had managed to break off from the meteorite and head back down the mountain, maybe take a nap in the shadow before riding back to Timely.

While he finished this thought, the hallucination of man and dragon reached him.  
“Hello there,” the man said. “Could you tell me if there is a town nearby, where I might barter for some provisions?”

It was a nice hallucination, looking a bit like the late sheriff and maybe that was why his mind was producing this picture. The guilt and loss of not helping Rogers, being unable to do anything, were still weighing on him a year after Natasha Barnes had freed the town from Fisk. The Roman was most likely a symbol of the hero he still saw in the sheriff. And the dragon? The dragon surely fit in somewhere too.

The hallucination put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay there?”

Hallucinations could not do that, could they?

Tony snapped out of it. “You are real.”

“Yes? How long have you been working in the sun like this?”

Tony started to giggle. A Roman soldier and a dragon had found him and were now fussing over his well-being.

“Time to get you out of the sun.”

Tony managed to say, “My horse is just down that path by a thicket that provides some shadow.” The Roman nodded and they made their way down with Tony only occasionally turning around to see that the dragon was following them like a dog.

They reached the thicket and his horse started to prance nervously, which surprised Tony because he still had not been entirely sure the two apparitions were real. He looked upon them with some nervousness for the first time.

“I guess we should not get any nearer or we’ll scare it to death.” That was a logical conclusion. Something to rely on.

“You sit down in the shadow here. Do you have water somewhere?” How the Roman and the dragon taking care of him fit in with logic escaped Tony for the moment but he couldn’t find it in him to care.

“In the saddlebags.”

“Devil, stay with him. I’ll just be a moment.”

Tony looked up at the dragon. “Devil, huh?”

He had no time to scream when the big jaws came down. With an almost gentle nudge he landed on the seat of his pants.

“Right. Sitting down. As I have been told.” 

The dragon snuffed out air through its nostrils and if Tony thought it was laughing at him, that must have been the effect of the sun too.

The soldier came back with the water and handed it to him. “You know that it’s a bad idea to be working in the sun for a long time without water or rest?”

“I did notice,” Tony answered. “But in the end, I wasn’t hallucinating you, so, no harm done?”

The soldier just shook his head, but a grin started spreading over his face. Tony took a closer look. The man indeed could have been Steve Rogers’ older brother. With longer hair, noticeable scars and a lot more muscle. And less clothed. Tony swallowed thickly.

“You are not from the Valley of Doom, are you?” he asked, not sure where to begin unraveling his confusion.

“No, I am from a different place, but there was nothing left for me there. I never looked back.”

“You were a soldier.” Tony did not need to ask. Every man that had come back from the war had been missing something. It was something different for everybody but the loss itself clung to them and something dark crept into the crevices left by the missing parts. Some were able to move on and the void spaces were filled or at least covered with new purpose, new memories, the signs of life and growing. Others couldn’t fill their abysses or even nurtured them.

Tony knew the signs because he had been the cause of it for too many.

“Yes, I was a soldier, but as I said I am not looking back.” The Roman’s voice was rigid, his face closed off.

After he had managed to already remind the other man of what he was obviously trying to forget, Tony could at least try to change the topic and lighten the mood. “I am Tony Stark. Whom do I have to thank for rescue from the evil, unrelenting sun?”

“This is Devil Dinosaur,” the soldier pointed to the dragon. “And I am Steve Rogers.”

He lay one hand on Tony’s shoulder and slightly clapped on his back with the other to help him through choking on his own spit.

“He is only called Devil to scare people. That was rather important where we came from. He is a good friend and there is most definitely no satanic background to any of this.”

“This is not - I was just - This isn’t -” Tony put his face in his hands for a moment. The warm hand still resting on his shoulder made him finally look up. “In the last year we lost our sheriff back in Timely. Although lost is not an accurate account. He was shot by men who should have been taken down a long time ago and we stood by and let it happen. He was the best men I ever knew, and his name was Steve Rogers.”

The other Steve Rogers looked at him and did not even flinch. He just gave him a sympathetic smile and squeezed his shoulder.

“You are not at all surprised,” Tony observed. “And I guess this would not even be changed if I told you that you look almost like him.”

“No, it wouldn’t. It is not the first time I have come across this. But I am glad to hear your Rogers was a good man and sorry that you lost him.”

They were silent for a long minute, although Tony almost protested when Rogers removed his hand from his shoulder.

“These men, are they still around?”

“No, the town took care of them, although the source of all of this, Roxxon, is still governor. I guess there is more problems ahead of us.”

“I can help.”

Tony would be damned if he let another Steve Rogers get killed while he stood by. “No, you, Sir, cannot.” He took a big step in Rogers direction and wanted to emphasize his next words by poking him in the chest, when once again the dragon’s big snout came down, this time separating the two men.

Tony could hear Rogers say, “Devil that wasn’t -“ when a giant tongue licked him from his toes up to his hair.

Rogers looked at him, equally surprised as Tony was in that moment.

“So that’s settled. Devil does not take easily to people. I think he will be even less easily convinced to let you ride back to your Timely alone. Let us at least escort you back to your town. Devil can look after the both of us.” The smirk on his face betrayed the chivalrous front he put up.

Tony knew that he had no chance in telling any Steve Rogers what to do.

.oOo.

Steve, carried by Devil, followed Tony at some distance again so as not to startle his horse. Both, the man and his horse, took the appearance of a tattered warrior in weird garb and his big red warbound lizard remarkably well. Steve tried to remember if people knew about dinosaurs during the 1800’s. He couldn’t remember, probably because he never had known in the first place. He had never expected to need this information. He hadn’t expected to be in this situation.

It wasn’t the weirdest thing that had happened to him. Killing himself would always be on the top of that list. The other version of him. Since leaving Greenland he had come across a few others, which he took as his cue to leave or not to stop at all.

The town they were heading to also belonged to another Rogers. Only they had already lost him. Tony said he had been a good man and apparently, he had been around long enough to leave a mark on the people left behind. That was at least something. He ignored the familiar feeling of envy, that he told himself was ridiculous in this case. The man was dead after all.

He shouldn’t be going to this place, should have told Tony goodbye the moment he told him about the sheriff. But he hadn’t. He had wanted to go back with Tony.

The man had acted weird since the moment he had met him. He had obviously thought Steve and Devil were hallucinations from a heat stroke. He was strange. Steve was intrigued. And for a moment he had thought that Tony was maybe flirting with him, but that was most likely the sun’s effect too.

Don’t even think about it, Rogers. This is the 19th century or something like it. This is not the reason you are going somewhere where you probably shouldn’t be. You do this for Devil. You know he can be a worrywart and he likes Tony. When you reach Timely you just check that there is really no trouble that they need help with and then you are on your way again.

That was absolutely what he was going to do.

.oOo.

When they made it to the first settlements at the outer edge of town there was already a lady waiting for them. For a long minute Steve was sure it had to be Tony’s wife. Who else would be anxiously waiting for him to come back? When they got closer he noticed that her face did not speak of relief over Tony’s return. It was more pissed off with whatever he had done. They dismounted.

“What are you bringing to my town, Stark?”

“Well, Mayor Danvers. These are Steve -“ Tony coughed. “Steve, who fought in the war and his – companion?” Tony looked over at Steve.

“Warbound,” Steve said without hesitation.

“Steve and his warbound Devil,” Tony concluded.

“Devil?” Mayor Danvers asked with an ice-cold voice.

Tony faltered a little. “We could probably rename him Fido?”

“GRRRRR.” Devil did not agree.

“He has very good ears,” Steve said, trying to explain.

“And what will Steve and Devil do in my town? And where will they be staying?” The mayor did not address her questions to Steve though, but to Tony.

Steve answered anyway, “I heard you had problems with a man called Roxxon.”

The mayor sure didn’t look grateful that somebody wanted to help. “Stark, do you think a sheriff and four vigilantes are not enough? Are you now recruiting strangers and their – warbounds?”

“Schmidt has had strange visitors over the last weeks,” Tony tried to argue.

“And you think I didn’t notice, or that your Avengers are not on top of that situation?”

“Of course not, Mayor.” Tony straightened up a little.

“Then let’s get back to the question: What are they doing here and where are they going to stay?”

“They will stay with me. Steve will help with the forge. Devil can sleep behind Stark Industries. You probably won’t even notice him.”

“Mroooo?” Devil sounded confused.

“In a few days, when we are all used to him.” Tony added dryly. “And I can use the extra set of muscles. Hands. I can use the extra set of hands.”

The mayor looked Steve over from head to toe. He had no questions why she was mayor. If he had had any plans of making trouble, he would have abandoned them there and then.

“They are your responsibility Stark. I expect no complaints.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Steve could have sworn that Tony sounded relieved.

Steve had planned to only stay long enough to get provisions, but he could not make himself tell them that.

.oOo.

They made it into town when the sun was already setting. It was all Steve had expected from the old west. There was a saloon, tethering posts before every building and a pig sty in the middle of town.

Tony’s house was surprisingly big, although the complete ground level was laid out as a workshop. The stairs in the back were most likely leading up to Tony’s private rooms. Steve turned sharply to look in another direction.

“Devil seems to be happy enough with rolling up out back,” Tony said after Steve had taken everything in for a minute. “As a chronic bachelor, I actually have just the one bedroom -“

Before Tony could finish the thought, Steve blurted, “I’ll stay outside with Devil. Most likely can’t sleep with a roof over my head anymore anyway.”

Tony looked confused for a second until a mechanical smile slid onto his face. “Well, then I guess we are settled. Good night, Steve. And thank you again for rescuing me today from the clutches of the evil sun.”

“Good night, Tony.” Steve thought he might need to rescue himself soon.

.oOo.

The next morning Tony looked out the window, where a small gathering had made their way to meet his guests. Word traveled fast in Timely, especially if there was a big red dragon behind Stark industries. He made his way outside hastily.

Just when he reached the group, he heard Ben Urich say, “We wanted to welcome you to Timely.” He gave Devil an unabashedly fascinated look. “I’ve heard you already met the mayor yesterday. May I introduce you to some more of the nice people of this town? This is Natasha Barnes, the widow to our late deputy.”

Steve’s brows were drawn together in some emotion Tony could not fathom. But it was too much emotion in reaction to meeting Natasha for the first time in any case. Steve gave a courteous short nod.

Urich continued, “This is our sheriff Red Wolf.”

Steve extended a hand to the new sheriff. (Still the new sheriff for Tony, even after a year. He stopped expecting that this would change.)

“This is his right-hand man Luke Cage.” Another extended hand.

“And the good Doctor Banner and my humble person, Ben Urich, reporter for the Timely Bulletin.” Some more shaking of hands.

Tony wanted to start making the same introduction he had given to the mayor last night, but Steve had already been blurting out, “I am Steve Rogers, and this is Devil Dinosaur.”

The were numerous reactions that followed. Devil made a kind of grumbling sound out of his throat that had no edge to it. More like the sound of paper rustling. Just a hundred times louder. It sounded quite content.

Urich had drawn his notebook and Tony knew what the headline of the paper tomorrow would be. But right now he could not find anything positive about the journalistic pride that had made its way back to the reporter.

Luke and Red Wolf both scrutinized Steve, obviously assessing who they were seeing.

And Natasha stared at Tony. He felt as if she knew what this was about, which was more than Tony could say for himself.

Red Wolf was the first to find his voice again. “I don’t know what Stark has told you -“

“He told me that Steve Rogers was your sheriff and that he was shot in the line of duty.”

“Then you can see why we are somewhat surprised.”

Tony barreled into the conversation trying to defuse it before there were any rumors that they couldn’t stop anymore. “I’m wondering how a mere coincidence leaves you more surprised than an actual dragon.”

“He is a dinosaur,” Steve said.

Bruce asked, “What is a dinosaur?”

“Ah,” Steve was dumbfounded for a second. “Well, it’s a big lizard that actually shouldn’t exist anymore.”

“In other words, a dragon. Great we could clear that up.” Tony wanted the people gone and Steve to himself as soon as possible. Tony mentally slapped himself in the face. He had known this man for less than 24 hours. He really was getting ahead of himself.

For now, it would be enough to get him away from a group of people at least some of whom looked like they wanted to eat him alive.

“So, some of us actually have to earn a living and that includes Steve and me. If you would all excuse us.”

The group took the hint and started to take their leave. Luke invited Steve to come over to the casino one of these nights and Steve agreed with a grin. Tony tried to not grind his teeth. They were trying to be welcoming. There was no malicious intent and living in Timely was considered safe again since Fisk had been removed. Steve was not in greater danger just because his name was Steve Rogers. At least Tony hoped so.

Natasha was the last to say goodbye and Urich, being a gentleman, waited to escort her.

“If you have no other plans, I could show you one of the nicer places around town on Sunday? We could go for a picnic.”

Steve smiled at her. “I would like that.”

Tony’s heart sank.

.oOo.

Tony had remembered that breakfast was a thing for most people and already felt bad because he had forgotten to offer Steve food the night before. Steve had just laughed and said that he had provided well for himself until he found Tony and was able to do it one more night.

That was lucky for him, because the only thing palatable in the house was some stale bread and cheese.

Steve had brought in the pack that Tony had seen before on Devil’s back. Belatedly he realized that this must be everything that Steve had to his name. It was not a big pack.

“You know, you can leave that in here, so you don’t always have to carry it around with you,” Tony said, jerking his head at the bundle.

“That’s -” Steve didn’t continue for a minute, as if unsure what it actually was.

In a moment he started talking again, his tone sullen. “It hasn’t always been just Devil and me. There was – our warbound Bucky. He was called upon by Doom and never returned to us. We tried to save him. We fought but we did not stand a chance. That’s why we left. There wasn’t anything for us anymore.

“It’s hard for Devil. He loved Bucky. For me it’s - Bucky has always been there. We grew up together. We enlisted together. I thought we would meet our end together. The world hasn’t made a lot of sense since he’s been gone.

“I know you lost someone not so long ago -” Steve paused.

“The sheriff and I weren’t that close.” Tony had no idea how to wrap this up in a short explanation. Or in any explanation. Yes, he had been sweet on Steve Rogers and maybe Rogers even had had an inkling to that. But that’s how far it had gotten. Tony had been in no state to pursue anything. And he had had no right to. It would have been dragging Steve Rogers off a pedestal to lie in the mud next to Tony.

Not that there had been any sign that the sheriff would have wanted that.

“He was a pillar of the community.” Well, it wasn’t a lie.

This Steve gave him a long hard look. “In this pack - this is all I have left. It’s all that remains of him. It goes with us wherever we go. I hope you don’t find that weird?”

Tony shook his head. Cremation and keeping the ashes of your loved ones had become more common on the east coast before he had gone out west.

“To come to the end of this long depressing talk, thank you for offering. I would appreciate knowing it’s safe in here.”

Tony hurried to say, “Of course. If you want, we can put it upstairs. Nobody ever goes there.”

“I rather have it down here,” Steve said. He didn’t need to add ‘where I can see it.’

So, that was the loss clinging to this particular soldier. The brother that did not return. And he went after him and was to late. But at least he tried. And Tony could just imagine what this Steve Rogers looked like when he was determined to rescue his loved ones. How terrified one would be, if you were to oppose him. How cherished one might feel, when you were on the receiving end of this … loyalty.

Of course, it had been his version of Bucky Barnes that had inspired these feelings. Every Steve Rogers would go to war over a dead Bucky Barnes. For a moment Tony thought about asking if there had been a Tony Stark where Steve came from. But there was nothing good that would come from this line of thought.

.oOo.

Having Steve at the forge was extremely useful. Also, very distracting, but Tony would never mention this.

He had been right that Steve’s muscles would come in handy, especially when handling larger farming equipment. Tony might even have found a little too much interest in seeing him moving some of the heavier stuff from one corner to another. He hadn’t originally planned on reordering the workshop that morning, but he hadn’t had this kind of incentive until then. He would need to get Steve some normal clothing at some point, but that would cover so much more of him. A sad thought.

When they had emptied out the area which had been completely clogged with unfinished projects, Steve found a round apparatus lying abandoned in the corner.

“What is that?” He had asked that about everything they had pulled out and Tony had happily provided the answers, pointing out all the improvements he had made to the commonly used designs.

Now he had to gulp down some bile. “That’s an automatic sowing machine.”

“Ah, and what makes it better than all other automatic sowing machines?” Steve smirked at him.

“There are no other automatic sowing machines. Just put it somewhere, where I won’t fall over it.”

“It doesn’t work?”

“Works like clockwork. Absolutely perfect.” Tony had already grabbed one of his hammers and was just looking for some piece of metal that needed work. A lot of it. Loud enough he would not be able to hear his own thoughts.

“So, why not sell it?”

“It was a stupid idea. Nobody needs this. Sometimes what looks like progress is degeneration.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a gun, Steve. Or it was. I thought it would end the war, but it didn’t. It made it worse. And I thought I could make up for it, after I was not drowning in self-pity anymore. Make swords to plowshares and all that shit. But it doesn’t change anything. The soldiers are still dead.” Somewhat softer he added, “Everybody is still dead.”

Steve put the machine down and came over to put a hand on his shoulder. Again.

“A sowing machine won’t bring anyone back. But it can help the ones who are still alive.”

Tony didn’t want Steve to move his hand away. He leaned his face into it. He could not make himself care what that looked like.

“Nobody needs that thing.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Steve did not move for a long minute. Tony thought he noticed some tension rising in the man and the moment he lifted his head Steve removed his hand. Go figure.

“We will need to get you something proper to wear. Later. Now we have some tragically shoeless horses that need our help.”

They went to work and by early afternoon, Steve could form a horseshoe by himself. He was smart and picking up what Tony was showing him fast. Tony could picture leaving the forge to Steve, when he had shown him how to make the items the people always needed, while he worked on his inventions. Getting Steve’s opinions when he was stuck and laughing about everything that went wrong over dinner.

That was, if Steve would stay, and he had never said he would. He only wanted to barter for provisions. Maybe he had decided to take a recess but would be leaving in a few weeks.

Instead of asking Tony said, “We should go find you those clothes now.”

.oOo.

They spent the rest of the week like that. Tony showing Steve how to produce chain links, nails, and whatever else customers had the audacity of needing on a daily basis. Steve adapting to every new skill even faster, giving Tony the opportunity to step back and marvel at his speed and strength. And maybe a few other things. Then Tony would return to his actual work, his inventions. And when they set down for dinner outside with Devil, Steve asked every evening what Tony had been working on.

Then Sunday came, and Steve had headed out to collect Natasha for their picnic.

Tony abstained from hammering on Sundays after Red Wolf had made good on his promise and Tony had spent a night in jail after his third warning.

He spent the morning working on plans to improve the armor. Not that there had been anything that had been able to withstand or damage it, but he liked to be prepared. And he had thought about these changes since the day Steve had shown up.

Late in the afternoon he grabbed something to eat. He hadn’t actually eaten alone since Steve had moved in. Well, out back. He was still sleeping with Devil outside.

Speaking of the Devil.

Tony wandered outside and plopped down beside Devil who was stretched out and for everything Tony knew enjoying the sun.

“You know that you can actually roam around, right?” Tony asked. He had not seen Devil leave since that first night. He must had done as they never had brought him food and he needed to eat. What did dragons eat?

The “dinosaur” made a high-pitched sound that reminded Tony of a small bird. A very loud small bird. He thought Devil might be unhappy too.

“What’s going on with you? You don’t have any worries. You are a mythical creature for Doom’s sake.”

Devil plucked half of Tony’s lunch from his right hand with surprising accuracy for his speed. Tony stared at his hand in disbelief. That answered this question.

“Understood. You are not happy.“

A softer whine followed.

“Is it about Steve?”

A huff. So, it was Steve. He had managed to upset his dragon.

“Is it because you are still here, and you should be moving on?”

If Tony had to name the look in devil’s eyes, he would call it incredulous.

“So, you like it here?”

Tony looked at Devil in one moment and in the next he was pulled up by the scruff of his neck and plopped on the dragon’s side. ‘At least,’ he thought, ‘I didn’t get licked again.’

“If it is not about being here, is it about Steve being gone today?”

An affirmative rumble that Tony could feel through his complete body.

“I miss him, too. But he will be back soon - I think.”

There was the paper rustling sound again, not as content as before, but Tony found it comforting still.

“You usually don’t spend time apart, I guess. I might be a bit envious. He has only been around for a few days, but I’d rather not think about you two leaving again.”

“Roo?”

“Yes, both of you. Also, I am pretty convinced that one doesn’t get one without the other. Proven by you being almost desperate after he is only gone a few hours.” Devil breathed a big gush of air through his nostrils. “Yes, I know. I’m not much better. Can you keep a secret?” More rustling. “I think I might be falling in love with him.” The cooing sound didn’t seem to fit the giant beast but what was fitting about this picture anyway. “If he falls for Natasha, we throw him out and you help me in the forge.” Tony was sure the following grumble, was a yes.

Tony spent the rest of the evening outside with Devil, talking at first, and Tony was convinced that it was an actual conversation. Later he just enjoyed lying there. Devil was warm and dry and Tony stared into the sky being more comfortable than he could remember.

When the sun set and the evening chill sent goosebumps up his arms, he got a blanket from inside and just cuddled up behind Devil’s front legs. He thought about calling it an early evening and going inside, but Steve wasn’t back, yet, and he liked it out here much better.

The last thing he could remember was telling Devil about the stars that were not hidden by clouds that night. He must had fallen asleep, as the next thing he became aware of was a sound of discord from the expanse of Devil’s belly.

“Hey, I wasn’t gone that long,” he heard Steve’s voice, although he couldn’t see him yet.

Devil just grumbled further.

“Not long?” Tony chimed in. “You said you were going for a picnic. It’s dark now.”

“Tony?” Steve’s face peaked around Devil’s head for a moment. In the next he stumbled knocked forward, hit by Devil’s tail. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Do you think we’ve got nothing better to do than wait for you all evening? Talking about how we miss you? Thinking you have abandoned us.” Tony’s words were underlined by a huff from Devil. “Rogers, we had a great evening without you. Now, go sleep!”

“But -” Steve seemed at loss for words for a moment. Then he continued, “- you are in my spot.”

“This is mine now. Devil and I are fine on our own. Just go and sleep inside.” With that he turned around and fell back asleep instantly.

.oOo.

The next morning Tony found Steve asleep on his cot in the workshop. He clanked two metal sheets together on purpose. When Steve sat up alarmed, he said, “Oh good, you are awake.”

“Sorry, I took the bunk. You said I should find somewhere to sleep and I didn’t wanna go upstairs…”

“Why not?” Tony asked back, although he thought he knew.

“It’s yours. I mean, this is yours too of course, but – I didn’t want to intrude.”

Tony did not mention that he hadn’t slept a night upstairs in the last month. That he usually fell on the cot when he couldn’t stand up anymore or Red Wolf or the mayor gave him his final warning. He also didn’t mention that he had no problem with Steve sleeping there. Tony thought if it would smell of Steve still when he would go to bed that night. And that was his sign to stop.

“You had a nice day with Natasha?” he asked. That was the fastest way to get rid of any sweet promises his mind was making up for him.

“Yes, we talked a lot. She showed me around the area. She is really … somebody.”

And there it was, a shy smile, maybe tinged by some melancholy. But that was most likely the last thin string of guilt over falling for Natasha, which would lead him to abandon Devil and Tony. Well, the guilt was most likely all about Devil.

“You were mad because I was gone so long?”

“Devil was upset, and I care for Devil.” That wasn’t untrue. “The next time you could tell us when you decide to spend the night away.”

“I didn’t spend the night! It was just -“

“I don’t need to hear it. We have work to do. Some of us used their time on other things than frivolities and now we have a plan to realize.”

.oOo.

Steve kept on making horseshoes and chain links, the two things Tony said they could never have enough of in stock.

Tony was working on a second anvil, drawing out a thin sheet of metal and curving it.

Steve had more problems than in the last week working the metal. It wasn’t difficult, but the metal was cooling off much faster now. Yeah, that was not what was happening. He just forgot to work on it over staring at Tony. He had done this in the last week too, but not as much. He had been concentrated on the task at hand not wanting to disappoint Tony, maybe hoping for some more of his impressed smiles. But some things had become clearer after he had spent the day with Natasha.

Somehow, she knew. They had been just outside the city when she said, “Tell me about him.” And Steve had told her, about how they grew up together and joined the supersolider program together and had been taken prisoner and had found Devil in the camps of Arcade’s arena. How they had been okay until the day Bucky disappeared. How he had sworn to tear Battleworld apart to find him. And how that had ended. He didn’t tell her how they fell in love, because he couldn’t, because he didn’t know. It was how it always had been: Bucky and him together and it didn’t take them long to figure things out once they grew up.

“Bucky and me,” she said once Steve had ended, they were already in the middle of their picnic by then, “met when we were already set on our trades.”

She told him how they could not let go of each other despite this. How Natasha followed Bucky, when Bucky followed Steve to Timely. How Natasha decided to try to start over, mostly. How the quiet life had turned out to be a lie, and finally, of what happened to Fisk.

Steve could not deny that he felt some satisfaction over the fate of the man, who had caused (this) Bucky’s death. But it had the same bitter tinge as the death of the Red King.

After a moment of silence, he asked Natasha, “What do you do now that he is gone?” It might have been a strange question for anyone else, but Steve knew she would understand.

“There are still some things left here to clean up. The Avengers are a good start, but they’re limited by the law. I am not. I’m only limited by the memory of my husband. And you? You have been wandering for a long time now.”

“There is no place for us.”

“Is that still so?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Stark seems more than willing to share.”

Steve blushed. He hadn’t blushed since he had been a teenager.

“I thought so.”

She didn’t dwell on the topic and Steve was glad. They talked more, wrapped up the picnic at some point and Natasha insisted on showing him some of her projects in the area. Throughout the afternoon his thoughts came back to what she had implied regarding Tony. He shouldn’t ask her, this wasn’t the time or the place. He should think about something else, about moving on.

“You said Tony would be willing to share – his home?”

Natasha gave him a long pensive stare. “Let’s say Stark has never shown any interest in marrying. There were some rumors when Rogers was still around. But it seemed nothing ever came of that. And here you are. He let you into his home and more surprisingly into his workshop. He even left the house several days in a row with you.” Natasha smiled at him and it looked neither sarcastic nor predatory. It was a smile he hadn’t seen on her before. “You may just be what his friends have been waiting for.”

Steve thought about what Natasha had said while watching Tony work on the metal sheet. Tony had welcomed him right away. Steve hadn’t really thought about it, maybe it was just the way this society worked or at least the way Tony was, open and instantly very familiar with everyone. But from what he had seen Tony didn’t act the same way around anyone else in Timely. And that made his gut turn to goo. Steve took a deep breath. That didn’t mean anything, did it? He didn’t know which answer he preferred. He hadn’t thought about staying. At least not earnestly. But he hadn’t thought about moving on either.

Tony had removed his shirt and was now working in an undershirt only. Sweat from the heat of the forge and the hard work was glistening on his forehead and his collarbone and his biceps…

“I haven’t heard you make a single stroke in the last ten minutes.” Tony looked back at him. “Anything catching your interest?”

At least Steve was good at thinking at his feet. “The metal sheet is much thinner than anything I’ve seen around and you are still drawing it out. Won’t that be too thin?”

“You do have a keen eye. Come over here.” Steve did. “Take the punch stamp and try to mark it up.”

Steve wasn’t sure about marking the sheet that Tony had spent almost an hour on drawing out. He set the stamp close to the edge and hit it with the hammer. He had to catch himself to not stumble from the recoil. He looked at the sheet and there wasn’t even a scratch. Tony grinned at him smugly. He gave the stamp another hit with much more force this time prepared for the resistance. There was a small dent visible, but a normal sheet would have been punctured. Steve looked surprised at Tony, who looked equally surprised at Steve. Presumably he had not expected Steve to be able to leave any mark.

“How did you make this?” Steve had picked up the sheet and was twirling it in his hands, trying to bend it a little. It was surprisingly flexible.

“Remember the meteorite pieces I collected when you found me? If you add some other metals you get this.” Tony had a glint of something in his eye looking from the sheet up to Steve and back to Steve’s hands.

“And what are you going to use it for? This is a lot of work for a bathtub.”

Tony bellowed out a laugh. “It has been called a lot of things but bathtub is a new one. Come on.”

Steve followed Tony, only hesitating for a moment when he went up the stairs. The first glimpse of the second floor revealed a bed, a bureau and a mass of papers strewn all over the floor. Tony made his way over to the window looking out the back of the building, finding a way across the notes without stepping on them. He didn’t even seem to notice how awkward it looked. When Steve had also made it to the other side, he noticed the mass he hadn’t before. It was seemingly another pile of ready made parts, but what was it doing up here?

“I disassembled it for the reconstruction.” Tony picked something up and it looked like a mask made from steel.

“What is this?” Steve could only wonder what kind of machination Tony had thought up here. Everything he had seen until now, he had either not thought possible with the available technology or he would have thought it impossible with any kind of technology.

“It is a suit of armor, so to say.”

“Like in the Middle Ages? Is that still useful – today?” It sounded much too simple to have come out of Tony’s mind, too. 

“I am not sure I need to answer this question, coming from somebody with a dragon and gladiator costume. It’s steam operated, able to withstand any standard rounds and makes use of fuels to generate fire and electricity to use against anyone stupid enough to go against me when I’m wearing it.”

“You wearing it? What for?” Steve felt his breath catch. He couldn’t say if from excitement or worry. Both probably.

“Dealing with what was left of Fisk’s organization. Having Red Wolf’s back.”

Steve had picked up another part of the armor. He let his fingers glide over the metalwork. The piece was evenly curved and somewhat heavy, as it had to be when it needed to withstand gunfire. He tried to bend it as he had done with the other sheet but this one wasn’t as flexible. Still it was a beautiful piece of work and he let his whole hand glide over the curved surface. Tony gasped and Steve looked back up at him.

Tony was staring at his hands, mouth slightly agape. Steve looked back at the armor piece and belatedly realized that it was most likely the piece made to cover Tony’s butt. Even if he had tried he would not have been able to keep his mind from spiraling. A blush crept up his neck for the second time in 24 hours and he wondered if this would now become a regular thing with Tony around. Ignoring it, he spread his palm over the surface of the metal and watched Tony’s reaction, Natasha’s words replaying in his mind.

He just thought about all the things that might be going through Tony’s head right then, when Tony managed to tear his eyes away from Steve’s hands and he cut through the thick silence. “I will need to test how the new sheets stand up to bullets. We could head out of town tomorrow and make a day trip out of it.”

“I promised Natasha to help her with something tomorrow afternoon.” It was as if a brick wall materialized behind Tony’s blue eyes. “I hope that is okay? If you need help I can tell her -“

“No need to. We can go the day after. It’s good you are – helping her.” Tony smiled in way that made Steve ache to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be fine.

.oOo.

When Steve had returned late the next night, he was not too surprised to find Tony huddled up with Devil again. It was nice that Tony took care of Devil when Steve was away. And that Devil let him was even better. Steve had not imagined that he would accept anyone. Anyone new.

Devil liked Tony. Steve liked Tony. Natasha said there was a decent chance that Tony liked Steve. So, why did he again make his way inside to sleep on the bunk bed?

The next morning had them riding for an abandoned quarry to test the new sheets. Tony had insisted on Steve taking a horse instead of being carried by Devil. Steve had waited for protest from Devil that never came.

When Tony found a spot that he designated suitable for his tests, he talked for ten minutes to Devil as to where he could roam in the next hour and where he would be in danger of being hit by stray bullets. And Devil listened patiently for ten minutes. Steve was marveling about both. Tony deciding that Devil would listen to him. Most people did not even expect him to understand a word they were saying. And Devil listening. Anything Steve told him was interrupted soon by huffing or any other sign of dissent. And Steve was pretty sure that Tony’s bullets would not do any damage to Devil anyway.

When Tony had instructed Devil to his liking and the dino had wandered off they started to set up the tests. Steve had expected to just prop the sheets up, fire a few rounds and then check them for damage. Tony had different plans. They would test different weapons, at different distances and varying angles. It took them more than an hour. In the end Steve could not suppress a yawn.

“You came back late last night?” Tony asked casually.

“Yes, it took a while, but it was good.” Steve grinned, remembering that he felt like this could work out, after they had been done.

Tony’s face seemed to flip and his lip drew back, when he snarled, “That’s the way you gonna talk about this? I know Natasha is a modern woman and a widow, but that will not help you in this town. Nobody is saying you have to marry her right away, but at least be a little bit discreet. Or are you two lovebirds going to run away any day now anyway, so that Natasha doesn’t have to keep up the façade?”

“Lovebirds? You don’t think -” Steve had problems following. Why would Natasha want to - He wouldn’t -

“What is there to think when you return in the wee hours of the morning, after only your second rendezvous.”

Tony looked flushed and angry. And lost. Steve stepped closer. If he extended an arm he could touch Tony.

“Tony, we were on one of Natasha’s missions yesterday. Don’t tell me you don’t know about them, because she knows that you do.”

Tony was obviously not listening to him. “You can’t take Devil. He likes it here. He likes -“

Steve startled him out of words by half dragging him forward by his shoulders and half stepping in his space. He pressed his lips to Tony’s robbing him of any chance to come up with further theories of how Steve was going to leave him.

If Steve had expected for Tony to go soft and pliant in his hands he was disappointed. First thing to come from Tony was a growl. He could feel him getting taut, ready to break loose, when something seemed to click in his head. He breathed a soft “oh” against Steve’s mouth.

Carefully Steve moved his lips to elicit something more from Tony. It worked. Steve felt a short brush of tongue when at the same moment one hand grabbed his shirt in the front and the other one slid into his hair to pull him even closer. After that he lost himself in the movement of their mouths.

Tony’s grip was tight, threading through is hair as if to find the perfect place and never let go again. The hand on his front had been smoothing up and down and slowly moved to his side and back, unhurriedly stroking him. It settled him more in place then the firm tug in his hair.

His own hands rested lightly on Tony’s hips now just anchoring him, so he still knew where up was. Everything else was tilting. Kissing Tony felt like he had done nothing else in his life, like there was no point in ever doing something else again. It was warm and tender and heady, and he longed for more. Not now. Not more intense or more urgent or more skin to skin, but more of this tomorrow, next week, a month from now. He felt connected, not to Tony, of course also to Tony, but also to everything else. As if everything had been muted before and now he could hear it again.

He didn’t know when he had closed his eyes, but when he opened them Tony was so close and so bright. Nothing had been so bright, nothing since the Killiseum.

The thought jolted through him and put the world back on its feet in an instant.

Steve carefully ended their kiss and removed himself out of Tony’s arms. “I’ll see you later at home.”

He walked away and didn’t turn back. He needed to do that, now. For Tony, for himself and for Bucky.

.oOo.

When Tony came back to the workshop Steve wasn’t there. Neither was Devil. He put the metal sheets away and lay down on the cot. Steve had said he would be back. There was no point in starting wallowing before it became unavoidably clear they had left. Now for all Tony knew, they were just out to – to do what exactly? What was so important that Steve had to leave at a moment’s notice after kissing Tony within an inch of his life? He had just ignored the crashing feeling he was left with when Steve had walked away. There was an explanation and no need to be dramatic. He had run the remaining tests as planned and packed up afterwards. He had come back here. Had done everything there was to do. And now he had time to think. Well, shit.

Why would Steve leave? _He_ had kissed Tony after all. Maybe he hadn’t liked it? In that case he had needed a really long sample to find that out. Tony told himself that he was being ridiculous. Steve had said they would meet here. As in he would come back. He hadn’t said that they would continue the kissing, but Tony could extrapolate. Or he wanted to come back to say goodbye. And maybe Tony had been too late. Steve could have expected that he would just pack up and follow him back. To wave him off into the sunset. 

But why would he need to go back first? His pack. The only thing he said he would take wherever Devil and he went. Bucky’s remains.

Tony was up and looking for the pack before he could end the thought. It was gone. He just slumped down on the floor.

And was that the answer? Tony could not have Steve because it was meant to be Bucky, Steve and Devil? He could not fault him for that. Tony had been sweet on the sheriff. But even so that was all there had been, he still couldn’t fathom that he was dead. From what Steve had told him about Bucky, he was like a brother. In the light of recent events most likely more. Maybe Steve was not ready to leave that behind, just to be with Tony. He was, for lack of a better word, widowed.

And the fact hit him in the face with a shovel. That was what had drawn Natasha and Steve together. They had both loved and lost Bucky Barnes.

The noise of Devil plopping down behind the house drew his attention, and Tony looked up to see Steve standing in the door. “Are you looking for something?” 

He tried to find the answer but for once he was out of words. He didn’t know if this was the end or the beginning or just a short reprieve before everything began its unrelenting decline again.

“Are you okay?” Steve kneeled down beside him on the floor and pulled him lightly against him.

Tony’s voice was hoarse. “You’re back.”

“Yes.” Steve pulled him a little closer. They both did not say a anything for a long minute.

But in the end Tony couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Are you leaving again?”

“No, we are staying.” Steve removed himself a little bit to look down at Tony. “If I suggest we leave, Devil would probably bite my head off.” 

Tony knew he was trying to cheer him up, but he needed to know. “Where were you?”

“We buried Bucky next to Natasha’s husband. It is time we all found some rest.”

Tony looked at Steve and could see some of it. The look of restlessness that had been in his eyes since they met in the mountains had quieted down. Steve seemed to have found something he had been looking for. 

“Why are you staying?”

“I think there is a place here for a man and his dinosaur.”

“Or his dragon.”

“Or that.” Steve smiled at him, his eyes roaming over Tony’s face as if to determine how something so unlikely had happened to him.

“It’s not just this town that needs you to stay.” Tony cradled his cheek. 

“I figured something like that.” Steve did not make any move to close the infinitesimal gap that still unnecessarily existed between their lips. After what happened at the quarry he was waiting for Tony to commit them to it this time.

And Tony wanted him to know that he had made a decision. That he was ready for this. All that had happened in Tony’s life had let him here.

He had spent years of his life making things. Then almost the same amount of time trying to drink away the mind that had made that possible. Then he had spent a year repenting the consequences of being useless the one time the sheriff needed help. And then Steve had come along. On a damned dragon. And he could recognize a sign. Especially if it gave him a toe to head lick.

He would do anything to do it right this time. To make them stay. If there had been some purpose to all this it had to be that he would do it right this time. That he could be a place where a man and his dragon could belong.

He met Steve’s lips and promised himself to never let him out of his sight again. Outside he could hear Devil rumble happily.


End file.
